Cree XLamp LEDs to Make a Splash at Beijing Olympics


HONG KONG, OCTOBER 25, 2007 - Cree, Inc., a leader in LED solid-state lighting components, today announced that its XLamp® LEDs will provide the effects lighting for the new Beijing National Aquatics Centre. The Aquatics Centre, commonly known as the Water Cube, will be the home for nearly all of the 2008 Summer Olympics aquatic events.

The Water Cube integrates the geometry of water bubbles into a rectangular, plastic structure. Cree LEDs will illuminate the bubble designs from inside the structure's translucent walls, allowing the entire building to glow with extraordinary color-changing LED light.

"The Water Cube is designed to provide spectacular lighting effects to be seen by millions of people around the world during the Olympics and for years to come," said Dr. XiGuang Fu, chief engineer for Grandar Landscape Lighting and Technology Group, the primary contractor for the lighting project. "We chose Cree XLamp LEDs because they provide industry-leading performance, and they provide the reliability and design flexibility needed for this highly visible project. Cree also provided technical support that will help make the Water Cube a remarkable, world-renowned lighting installation."

"This unusual venue spans some 80,000 square meters, and will have approximately 440,000 Cree XLamp LEDs embedded throughout the structure. The scale of the project, combined with unique lighting controls provided by Grandar, will result in a truly memorable display of changing images and colors," said Scott Schwab, Cree Asia Pacific managing director. "It's an extraordinary design that relies on LEDs to create dramatic effects while consuming as little energy as possible."
For additional information on Cree, please call (919) 313-5300 or visit www.cree.com/xlamp.

For additional information about Grandar, please visit www.grandar.com.

About Cree, Inc.

Cree is a market-leading innovator and manufacturer of semiconductors and devices that enhance the value of solid-state lighting, power and communications products by significantly increasing their energy performance and efficiency. Key to Cree's market advantage is its world-class materials expertise in silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) for chips and packaged devices that can handle more power in a smaller space while producing less heat than other available technologies, materials and products. Cree drives its increased performance technology into multiple applications, including exciting alternatives in brighter and more-tunable light for general illumination, backlighting for more-vivid displays, optimized power management for high-current, switch-mode power supplies and variable-speed motors, and more-effective wireless infrastructure for data and voice communications. Cree customers range from innovative lighting-fixture makers to defense-related federal agencies. Cree's product families include blue and green LED chips, lighting LEDs, LEDs for backlighting, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices.

For additional product specifications please refer to www.cree.com.

Media Contact:
Deb Lovig
Marketing Communications Manager
Cree, Inc.
Deb_Lovig@cree.com
(919) 287-7505

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